The Path We Walked
Conflict and rivalry defined the long years of division between the two Koreas.
South and North Korea have extended constant efforts to overcome the tragedy and heal old wounds through talks and exchange efforts.
Since inter-Korean dialogue began in 1971 -- the first formal communication between the two Korean governments since the Korean War (1950-1953) -- there have been 668 unique meetings between South and North Korean authorities, as of Sept. 7, 2018.
668
Dialogues betweenauthorities
268
Political talks
154
Humanitarian talks
60
Social & culturaltalks
51
Military talks
135
Economic talks
The efforts to build mutual trust and achieve peace on the Peninsula began as early as the 1970s. These efforts laid the foundation for the two milestones in the history of inter-Korea dialogues that the two sides maintained amid hostility and conflict: 2000 and 2007 Inter-Korean Summits.
1970
The 1970s
In the 1960s, the Cold War thwarted any efforts for inter-Korean talks. However, the arrival of Détente in the 1970s catalyzed dialogues between the two Koreas.
1971
South-North Korean Red Cross talks
The very first dialoguebetween South and North Korea was held on Aug. 20, 1971, concerning the reunionof separated families. It was the meeting of dispatched agents from the RedCross societies of each Korea. A total of seven South-North Korean Red Crosstalks were held between August 1972 and July 1973. They discussed five agendas,including checking the address of separated families and confirming the lifeand death of family members.
1972
July 4 South-North Communiqué
After therepresentatives of the two Koreas had meetings in Seoul and Pyeongyang in May1972, there was the announcement of the July 4 South-North Communiqué, the first document tobe agreed upon by the two Koreas after the division of the Korean Peninsula. Itincluded three principles of unification: independence, peace and nation-wideunity. It also included agreements such as not to slander or defame each other,not to undertake military provocations and to install a direct telephone linebetween Seoul and Pyeongyang. However, this could not lead to progress in theinter-Korean relationship, as the confrontation continued amid the global ColdWar.
1980
1984
1984 Sept. 18
The Korean government accepted North Korea’s proposal to provide relief supplies to flood victims. This was the first inter-Korean agreement on humanitarian aid reached since national division. In addition, starting with inter-Korean economic talks in November that year, a string of talks between the two Koreas was held, including Red Cross talks, preliminary contacts concerning inter-Korean parliamentary talks, and talks about sporting events.
1985
1985 May 27
On May 27, 1985, the full-scale meeting of the eighth inter-Korean Red Cross talks took place, resulting in an agreement on the reunion of war-separated families for the first time since national division. For four days, starting Sept. 20, carefully vetted groups of war-torn families from both Koreas met their long-separated relatives. Art troupes from the South and the North also visited each other’s capital, finally realizing exchanges between citizens of the South and the North.
- South and North Koreacontinued to talk in the 1980s, despite a hostile relationship. During thistime, the two sides successfully expanded dialogue channels, compared toprevious periods.The first inter-Korean ministerial meeting
The Inter-Korean High-Level Talk—the first inter-Korean ministerial meeting since the division—was held in September 1990. The two sides met for eight more high-level talks, which resulted in the promulgation of the Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-Aggression, and Exchanges and Cooperation between South and North Korea (Inter-Korean Basic Agreement) in February 1992.
Inter-Korean Basic Agreement
In the agreement, thetwo sides reaffirmed the principles set forth in the July 4 South-NorthCommuniqué and agreed to recognize and respect each other’ssystem of government and together try to transform the present state, thearmistice, into a solid state of peace. Also, during high-level talks the twosides made agreements concerning reconciliation, non-aggression and exchanges& cooperation between South and North Korea, as well as making the JointDeclaration on Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
2000
The 2000s
In 2000, South and North Korea wrote history with their first Inter-Korean Summit since the division. During the summit, which was held in Pyeongyang from June 13 to 15, President Kim Dae-jung and Chairman of the National Defense Commission Kim Jong Il adopted the June 15 North–South Joint Declaration. In the declaration, the two leaders affirmed their commitment to joint efforts to reunite family members that were separated by the division and expand economic, social, and cultural exchange efforts.
2000
June 15 North–South Joint Declaration
The two leadersrecognized the common element between the South’s concept of a confederationand the North’s formula for a loose form of federation, and agreed to promotereunification in that direction. This means that the two Koreas agreed torespect each other’s current systems of government, to coexist in a peacefulmanner, and to realize reunification gradually, in stages, through exchangesand cooperation.
2007
October 4 Declaration
On August 8, 2007, South and North Korea respectively announced that a new Inter-Korean Summit would be held from August 28 to 30. However, on August 18, North Korea requested the summit to be postponed as it recovered from the catastrophic flood that swept the region. As a result, the Inter-Korean Summit was held in Pyeongyang from October 2 to 4, 2007. In the summit, President Roh Moo-hyun and Chairman of the National Defense Commission Kim Jong Il affirmed their shared understanding of the need to end the current armistice regime and build a permanent peace regime. To this end, the two leaders agreed to work toward having the leaders of the three or four parties directly concerned to convene on the Peninsula and declare an end to the Korean War. The two sides also agreed to carry out joint programs across various fields including politics, military, economy, society and culture. The summit saw the adoption of the Declaration on the Advancement of South–North Korean Relations, Peace and Prosperity (October 4 Declaration). The declaration detailed the measures for the agreements contained in the June 15 South–North Joint Declaration.
2017
"We already know the road that leads to a peaceful Korean Peninsula. It is a return to the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration of 2000 and the October 4 Declaration of 2007."
"Through these two declarations, the South and the North clearly stated that we are the masters of inter-Korean issues and are committed to closely cooperating in easing tensions and guaranteeing peace on the Korean Peninsula. The two Koreas also promised to walk the path of common prosperity through cooperative projects in every sector of society, including in the economic field. The spirit of these agreements that were achieved on the foundation of mutual respect between the South and the North is still valid. The matter is urgent. We must return to that spirit where the South and the North worked together toward realizing a peaceful Peninsula.”- President Moon Jae-in’s speech at the Körber Foundation, Germany, July 6, 2017
2018
On April 27, 2018, the leaders of the two Koreas met in Panmunjeom for the first time in 11 years. The stage for this meeting was set by the aspirations for peace on the Korean Peninsula that realized the joint participation of the two Koreas in the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
President Moon Jae-in and Chairman Kim Jong Un engaged in candid conversation and discussed ways to achieve the sustainable advancement of the inter-Korean relationship and the permanent establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Although the summit lasted for just one day, it bore significant fruit. The meeting in the morning continued for over 1 hour and 40 minutes, and the two leaders walked over the Footbridge and talked privately for an additional 40 minutes. What they discussed was compiled into the Panmunjeom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity, and Unification of the Korean Peninsula, and was announced by the two leaders themselves. They proclaimed the beginning of a new era of peace on the Korean Peninsula, unlike any other era in the past, and spoke before the entire world.
Just one month later, on May 26, the two leaders sat down again at the dialogue table in Panmunjeom.
This surprise second inter-Korean summit was to discuss urgent issues concerning the U.S.-North Korea summit, that was just around the corner. At the summit, Chairman Kim reaffirmed his commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The two leaders promised to swiftly implement the Panmunjeom Declaration. The two met casually, like two close friends, in this second inter-Korean summit, and demonstrated that they remain committed to their pledges to meet at any time, in any manner, whenever the need arose, in addition to having regular summits.
